Frenchies propose international AIDs tax

[MrRant]

French President Jacques Chirac called for an "experimental" international tax to help fund the war against AIDS, suggesting it could be raised via a levy on airline tickets, some fuels or financial transactions.

 

In a speech via video link to political and business leaders in the Swiss resort of Davos, he said at least 10 billion dollars (7.7 billion euros) a year was needed -- up from six billion annually now -- to stem the spread of the disease.

 

Chirac, prevented from flying to the World Economic Forum here through poor weather, said that despite huge efforts so far, "we are failing in the face of this terrible pandemic."

 

He suggested options including: a "contribution" on international financial transactions, a tax on aviation and maritime fuel, a tax on capital movements in or out of countries which practised banking secrecy, or a "small levy" such as a dollar on the three billion airline tickets sold every year.

 

"What is striking about these examples," Chirac said, "is the disproportion between the modest efforts required and the benefits everyone would reap from them."

 

The president said developed countries should also create tax incentives to stimulate private donations to charity.

 

Chirac acknowledged that his proposal would be widely debated, an allusion to US opposition to any international tax, and said there was "no question" of treading on each country's right to set its own levies.

 

"But there is nothing to prevent states from cooperating and coming to an understanding on new resources and their allocation to a common cause," Chirac added.

 

He said a tax on international financial transactions would be implemented sparingly and at a very low rate and would not be an obstacle to normal market operations. It could raise 10 billion dollars a year, he went on.

 

A levy on capital movements would partially compensate for the consequences of tax evasion which damaged the poorest countries, and would be allocated to development.

 

The fuel tax would apply to air and sea transport and effectively end the current exemption regime.

 

Meanwhile, a small levy on plane tickets would not compromise the economic balance of the aviation sector, the president said.

 

Two years ago Chirac also raised the possibility of an international tax to help the fight against AIDS, but gave few details, while he has several times extolled the idea to help combat the negative effects of globalisation.

 

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050126/1/3q44a.html

 

It makes perfect sense.

 

 

 

To the French.

[Guest sek69]

I'm sure this has zero chance of going anywhere other than giving RW radio some more red meat to hate the French and to tell their listeners the "left" wants to tax the entire world.

[kkktookmybabyaway]

Nah, we have more than enough red meat to hate the french with, and this story has taken more of a "hate the UN" path on the RW Radio circuit...

[Guest sek69]

It's still just manufactured outrage, right behind the "SPONGEBOB IS TEH GHEY~!" stuff.

 

No one seriously thinks a worldwide tax would ever work anywhere, yet the radio guys will push this like its a real threat to the US.

[kkktookmybabyaway]

You know, I'm not one of these "The UN is going to take over the US" conspiracy buffs, but whenever I hear stories like this I start to wonder. However, I just go back to playing video games knowing that my local milita will be protecting me when the black helicopters come to take my land all in the name of saving the oppressed...

[MrRant]

Remember... you can't Catch teh gay

[Guest Vitamin X]

Oh go fuck yourself, Chirac. Noone cares what you think. Which is probably why he comes up with these out of leftfield, oddball ideas. Seriously, an international AIDS tax? That sounds like something this coke fiend who sat next to me in polisci last semester would come up with when the teacher put him on the spot.

[Guest BDC]

I'm sure this has zero chance of going anywhere other than giving RW radio some more red meat to hate the French and to tell their listeners the "left" wants to tax the entire world.

Wow, that was necessary, thank you.

 

 

I'm still wondering about how exactly Chirac thinks that anyone has the power to levy international taxes. I mean, it'd be in violation of the whole sovereignty thing, right?

[Jobber of the Week]

Saw the title and thought, "Hey, if he wants to tax people in France to help fund worldwide AIDS relief, I'm down with that."

 

This, though... Well, I'm not outraged or anything, but I do think it's pretty dumb.

[Hogan Made Wrestling]

He's hardly the first person to suggest such a thing. The Nobel Prize economist James Tobin has suggested a worldwide tax on currency speculation, which would help to prevent economic destabilization, and the funds recovered could be used for purposes such as this.

[The Czech Republic]

If you subtracted all the posts sek69 makes that are weak attacks on conservative talk radio, he could go into the negatives. Seriously, that's like all I ever see